Trailer attachment and hitch for tractors



Dec. 16, 1947. H. G. FERGUSON 2,432,739

- TRAILER ATTACHMENT AND HITCH FOR TRACTORS 4 Original Filed Jan. 14, 1945 Wen/y G- filyaaox ,weight Ford-Ferguson tractor vention, only.the front end modifications and have shown in the drawings and will herein deindicated more or less Patented Dec. 16, 1941 znsznso manna arracnmau'r AND nrrcn ron TBAOTOBS Henry George Ferguson, Belfast, Northern Ireland Original applicat'on January 14, and this application June 172,380. Divided 1945, Serial No. 598,721

In Great Britain February 27, 1942 4 Claimi- (OL 280-8844) The present invention relates to hitch means for connecting unbalanced trailable devices to tractive vehicles and especially for connecting twowheeled or equivalent non-seli-balancing trailers to lightweight agricultural tractors, that is, for trailers or equivalent devices that are not only drawn by the tractive vehicle, but are also supported or steadied against tipping thereby.

- latter has two road ms, sci-m No.

, 2 To such tractor is attached a trailer 8. The

- toward the rear in order to throw weight forward .An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved hitch arrangement for connecting a non-self-balancing trailer to a traclinkage.

, The forked lower tor in a manner to accomplish load transfer from the trailer to the rear wheels'o'f the tractor without danger of causing the tractor to rear up on its hind wheels and while permitting a high degree of flexibility for relative movement between tractor and trailer accommodating passage over rough ground.

Another object is to provide an arrangement of' the character indicated in which the trailer may be quickly and easily attached anddetached and \vhich requires only simple, rugged low cost attachment or connecting elements.

In order that the nature and objects or the invention will be clearly understood, the following specific embodiments as applied tea lightwill now be described by way of example with accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the rear end of a, portion of a tractor .having applied thereto a trailer attachment embodying the present inas such, being shown. I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, the inner wheel of the tractor being removed to expose the hitch fully to view. While the invention is susceptible of various alternative constructions, I

scribe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the rear end of a portion of a tractor has been diagrammatically and may be, for example, a lightweight Ford-Ferguson tractor. As shown, on a rear axle I. A rear axle casing Ia enclosing theaxleand isenlarged inits central portion to iorm a differential housing or casing lb.

it has rear traction wheels 6 onto the tractor. The frame beams-9 of the trailer have an upstanding member or mast Ill thereon, reinforced by stays ii, and to which is attached a tubular or socket member l3 by pivot pin ii. A spigot or rod member i4 is siidingly ,telescoped within the tubular member l3 and coacts therewith to form a top link for the hitch end of the member it is connected by a pin I! to a member i8, which is in turn pivoted by a pin ii to a hanging, curved lever iii. The latter lever is pivoted to the differential housing 12) at I! and has a large curved flange engaging or partially embracing the differential housing; The pins i5, I1 and assoreference to the bar thus constitute a lower being in compression and portion of the trailer,

ciated parts form a universal joint while the lever i8, 20' serves to distribute the thrust of the upper hitch link. ll, ll. The resultant thrust is one passing forwardly and downwardly on to the tractor.

The beams 9 have a clevis or draft tongue 2i adapted to be connected pivotally by removable any selected hole 23 in a drawbar 24 which is pivotally connected for up and down movement at 25 to inverted U-brackets 26 attached to the mud guard brackets 28a at the ends of the rear axle casing la. The clevis and drawhitch connection. The top link l3, ll thelower hitch connection being in tension due to the unbalanced weight or load or the trailer, the trailer load is applied, in effect, at a point For further detail in'reference to this general mode of transferring weight from a trailer to a tractor. about the pin 2;

, the arrangement shown is tractor, although through use of a specifically diflerent hitch mechanism, see 2,347,898, issued May 2, 1944. The linkage here shown permits relative up and down movement between the trailer and the tractor and the trailer can swing laterally with reference to the and the pin. Thus especially suitable for heavy trailers from which a substantial load is applied to the tractor. The presently disclosed linkage also allows'relative rocking movement between the tractor and trailer.

The purpose of constructing the top link of two telescoping members l3, ll, which are arranged to part company under tension, is to promote safety. Thus, shouidthe lower linkage connectiqn, come adrift, as for example, through loss wheels la (Fig. 2) disposed my Patent No.

- transverse horizontal of said lever apart and there will be no danger or up-ending the tractor. constitutes the subj application, Serial The present application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 472,380, filed Janpary 14, 1943, now Patent No. 2,393,358, Jan. 22, 1946. Said application, Serial No. 598,722, referred to above, is also a division of said copending application No. 472,380.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a trailer attachment for a tractor having a transverse drawbar pivoted thereto about a axis lying beneath the rear axle of the tractor, the combination of a trailer having ground-engaging support means and overbalanced forwardly about the latter, an up- Such safety arrangement, however.

ect matter of my co-pending right mast fixed rigidly in position on the for- Ward end of said trailer, a. top link, means pivot- No. 598,722, filed June 11, 1945.

tor having a rear axle ing said top link to the upper end of said mast so that said top link moves laterally with said mast, means including a universal joint on the forward end of said link for connecting the same in a downwardly inclined position to the rear end of the tractor at a point above 'thelatters rear axle, a coupling member rigid with the trailer and projecting forwardly therefrom, and means for pivotally connecting the forward end of said cou pling member to said drawbar for lateral swing of the trailer with reference to the drawbar.

2. In a trailer attachment for a tractor having a rear axle housing and central diiferential housing on its rear end as well as a transverse drawbar pivoted thereto about a transverse horizontal axis lying beneath the rear axle of the tractor,

the upper end of said mast, a lever contained to embrace the upper rear portion of said differential housing, means for pivoting the upper end to the differential housing about a horizontal pivotal axis with the leverdepending from such pivot, a universal joint on the forward end of said link connecting the same in a. downwardly inclined tion of said lever at a point above the tractors rear axle, a coupling member rigid with the trailer and projecting forwardly therefrom, and means for pivotally connecting the forward end of said coupling member to said drawbar for lateral swing of the trailer with reference to the drawbar.

3. In a trailer and hitch attachment for a tracposition to an intermediate porhousing and central diflerentlal housing on its rear end, the combination of a generally U-shaped drawbar, means for pivotally attaching 4. In a trailer attachment for a tractor having a transverse drawbar pivoted thereto about a transverse horizontal axis lying beneath the rear axle of the tractor, the combination of a trailer mast fixed rigidly in position on the forward end of said trailer, a top link connected to said mast and extending forwardly and downwardly therefrom, means including a universal joint on the forward end of said link for connecting the same REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Number 2 Gaiser Date July 21, 1931 

